日食 – rishi – Solar Eclipse

On Wednesday, 2009 July 22, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half of Earth. The path of the Moon’s umbral shadow begins in India and crosses through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. After leaving mainland Asia, the path crosses Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and curves southeast through the Pacific Ocean where the maximum duration of totality reaches 6 min 39 s. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon’s penumbral shadow, which includes most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and the Pacific Ocean.

So it’s coming to China on its Asian tour: the moon. Luckily, I’ll not only be in China to see it, I’ll be within the band labeled, “Total Eclipse” for my final days here. Penumbral shadows are for suckers; I’m going to be looking up from the umbral zone!